Learners fundraising rewarded with visit from Elmer

Learners from WS Training Limited, a private training provider with a base in Ipswich, enjoyed a visit from Elmer the Patchwork Elephant recently, in recognition of fundraising carried out in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice.

Participants in its supported learning programme, which caters for young people aged 16-24 with Special Educational Needs, have worked together running market stalls, fashion shows, productions, fayres and sponsored runs, raising in excess of £1,300.

The training provider is part of Elmer’s Learning Herd, the education strand of Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk 2019. The Learning Herd was created to give schools, youth groups and organisations the opportunity to make a fundraising pledge in return for a young Elmer sculpture to design, decorate, display on the trail and then keep for themselves.

Norman Lloyd, Campaign Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said:

“The education element of trails such as Elmer’s Big Parade Suffolk is really important and, having heard about all the hard work that these learners have put into their fundraising, it is fantastic to be able to recognise this and say thank you to them in this way.”

Ryan Hollis, Curriculum Lead at WS Training said:

“We are so pleased with the effort the learners have made and what they have achieved along the way. They have learnt Customer Service Skills, embedded Maths and English and social skills. The fundraising has given our learners purpose and a real sense of community.”

WS Training Limited provides a holistic approach in delivery to support young people to grow as individuals, develop aspirations for the future and strategies to achieve progression towards long term goals. Based in Suffolk and Essex and working throughout East Anglia, the company has been operating since 1995 and currently has centres in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Colchester.

If you, or a group you know, are interested in joining WS Training Limited and being part of Elmer’s Learning Herd, there are just 18 places still available. Email info@elmersbigparadesuffolk.co.uk